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B-17 Flying Fortress
17/7/43 MISSION ALL PLANES JETTISONED OR BROUGHT BACK BOMBS,STAFF SGT.CHARLES B LOZENSKI WAS ON THIS MISSION AND ALSO 2/10/43 ,BUT THEY WERE NOT LISTED IN HIS DIARY .
BIG MOOSE Crash landing pilot was William Whitson of OLD BILL fame It was a dead stick landing,As the last engine sputtered to a halt prior to them getting wheels on the ground.Photo 3 engines out as approaching RAF Heston .As told to Graham Meiklejohn by William Whitson.
Delivered Denver 28/2/43; Casper 13/3/43; Metropolitan 13/4/43; Presque Is 30/4/43; Dow Fd 1/5/43; Assigned 379BG Kimbolton 2/5/43; transferred 365BS/305BG [XK-T/H] Chelveston 23/6/43; 545BS/384BG [JD-U] Grafton Underwood 29/9/43; Missing in Action Schweinfurt 14/10/43 with Giles Kauffman, Co-pilot: George Molner, Navigator: Frank Pogorzelski, Bombardier: Dave Danneman, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bill Jarrell, Radio Operator: Jules Beck, Ball turret gunner: Jacob Martinez, Waist gunner: Paul Spodar, Tail gunner: Stan Rueben (9 Prisoner of War); Waist gunner: Pete Seniawsky (EVD-ret UK 1/12/43 via Spain & Gibraltar); crashed Bruckenau, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 1038. TS aka BIG MOOSE.
Group
The 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy), nicknamed "Can Do" was activated 1-March-1942 at Salt Lake City Air Base, Utah which was their primary training base until 11-Jun-1942 when they relocated to Geiger Field, Washington until 29-Jun-1942, then on to...
Group
The 384th Bomb Group flew B-17s from Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire, between May 1943 and June 1945. They were engaged in daylight bombing missions over Germany as part of the Allies' efforts to destroy the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe by...
Squadron
Squadron
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 384th Bomb Group
Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-29870 'Big Moose'. Prisoner of War (POW). Missing Air Crew Report #1038. Earlier, on 4 October 1943 returning from a mission to Frankfurt, B-17 #42-30043 'Ruthless' ditched in The North Sea. The entire crew was...
Military | Sergeant | Togglier, Enlisted Nose Gunner | 384th Bomb Group
Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-29870 'Big Moose.' Prisoner of War (POW), Missing Air Crew Report #1038.
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | aerial gunner/Ball turret gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Born Dec 1920 in KY. Both his parents died before he reached the age of 4. He was raised by his grandparents. He enlisted in the Army (infantry) in the late 1930's and spent time working with the CCC. He worked at the Lake Washington Shipyard ...
Military | Navigator | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Military | Radio Operator
Military | Sergeant | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Killed/ died on this date
DFC, PH
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 384th Bomb Group
Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-29870 'Big Moose'. Prisoner of War (POW), Missing Air Crew Report #1038. Earlier, on 4 Oct 1943 returning from mission to Frankfurt, B-17 #42-30043 'Ruthless' ditched in the North Sea. The entire crew was rescued...
Military | Captain | Pilot | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Flew 25 Combat Missions out of England. One of two to return from Schweinfurt 14 October 1943. At times flew Group, Squadron and Wing Lead. Was in the Air Force for 10 yrs and 30 yrs as an airline pilot. Discharged from Travis AFB, 1950.
...
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 384th Bomb Group
Shot down in B-17 #42-29870, 14 October 1943. Prisoner of War (POW), Missing Air Crew Report 1038. Earlier, on 4 October 1943 returning from a mission to Frankfurt, B-17 #42-30043 'Ruthless' ditched in The North Sea and rescued by HM drifter ‘Lord Keith’.
17 July 1943
The railroad industry at Hannover, Germany and the aircraft industry at Hamburg, Germany were the intended targets for this mission but weather caused the mission to be cancelled. The element sent to Hannover was a combined force of 207 B-17s from:...
24 July 1943
Three targets in Norway are the primary targets for this first mission flown by 8th AIr Force to Norway. They are the nitrate works at Heroya and the port areas at Trondheim and Bergen. The first element is a combined force of 180 B-17s from: 91BG (22)...
14 October 1943
This was the 2nd mission flown against the ball bearing industry at Schweinfurt, Germany and was as equally disastrous as that flown on 17-Aug-43. It came to be known as "Black Thursday". While fighter escort was dispatched, bad weather and lack of...
Military site : airfield
Chelveston was adapted and expanded in preparation for the arrival of American forces. Rather than heavy bombers, the first aircraft to fly from its runways were C-47 Skytrains that were flown by the 60th Troop Carrier Group in July 1942. The first...
Military site : airfield
Grafton Underwood was built in 1941 by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd. It was the first airfield in England to receive an Eighth Air Force flying unit, when in May 1942 personnel of the 15th Bomb Squadron took up residence. As a satellite airfield for...
Military site : airfield
Planned for RAF use, Kimbolton airfield was built by W and C French Ltd. in 1941. The airfield was increased in size to accommodate a full US heavy Bomb Group, and the first such unit to us it was the 91st Bomb Group, who arrived in September 1942....
Military site : airfield
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) | Germany | 14 October 1943 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 28 April 2021 21:42:31 | jmoore43 | Changes to production block number |
| Sources | ||
Updated the Production block number per info on the internet. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 February 2020 21:07:02 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added a space in front of the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” for clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 25 January 2020 23:44:52 | phil marchese | Changes to markings |
| Sources | ||
AAM image |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 25 January 2020 23:44:00 | phil marchese | Changes to production block number and markings |
| Sources | ||
AAM associated b&w image. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 April 2018 01:51:14 | jmoore43 | Changes to mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Added connection to Schweinfurt Mission 10/14/1943 per data in description. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 April 2018 01:45:23 | jmoore43 | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
Capitalized nickname. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 May 2017 01:02:43 | charlieb | Changes to mission associations |
| Sources | ||
MISSION LOGS |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 May 2017 01:51:10 | charlieb | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
INTERNET |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 30 April 2017 03:14:08 | charlieb | Changes to unit associations, person associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
MISSION LOGS |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 April 2017 20:47:37 | charlieb | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
get one a/c group 8th af |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:24 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 1038 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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